Air-cushioning heel or pad for boots or shoes.



No. 826,330. I PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

' E. N. HAAG. v AIR CUSHIONING HEEL OR PAD FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZ'T, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD N. HAAG, OF WEST PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOFERDINAND H. DUCKVYITZ, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented July 1-7, 1906.

Application filed July 27, 1905. Serial No. 271,398.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD N. HAAG, a citizen of the United States,residing at West Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAir- Cushioning Heels or Pads for Boots or Shoes, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to an air-cushioning pad adapted to be placed andremovably secured on the inside of a boot or shoe about the heelportion, so as to lessen jar or shock incident to walking in the use ofthe boot or shoe and to permit the heel of the foot to adjust itselfnaturally in the heel portion of the boot or shoe, so as to appreciablydiminish any tendency to running over or to uneven wear of the heel ofthe shoe or boot and also to relieve the bone of the heel as well asmuscles and sensitive nerves from continual shock in walking in the wearof the boot or shoe provided with such a cushioning heel or pad.

My invention, stated in general terms, consists of an inside heel or padfor a boot or shoe, consisting of cellular or soft spOngy' yieldinmaterial provided with a tapering or bevele front and with a concavityor recess in the body arranged to compass the heelbone of the foot, soas to relieve the same from direct pressure, said heel or pad beingconstructed and arran ed in substantially the manner hereinafterescribed and claimed.

The nature, characteristic features, or scope of my present inventionwill be more fully understood from the'following description, taken inconnection With the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in whichFigure 1 is a perspective view of an aircushioning heel or pad for theinside of a boot or shoe embodying main features of my pres-' entinvention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the inside heel or pad,showing the tapering front and concavity in the body for compassing theheel-bone, so as to relieve any pressure thereon and to guard againstshock in walking; and Fig. 3 is a view, partly in side elevation andpartly in broken section, of a shoe, showing the heel or pad of myinvention in application therein.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a portion of ashoe or boot witha pad or heel on the inside, in the rear portion thereof, em

bodying the features of my invention, and the same consisting of acellular or soft spongy rubber material (1, having in the body of theunder surface of the pad or heel a con cavity a, so as to compass thebone of the heel'in position in the boot or shoe as well as to leave theheel-bone comparatively free from direct pressure in walking by theyielding character of the material about the concavity and to relievethe muscles and nerves of the foot from continual shock in walking inthe wear of such a comfort boot or shoe. The forward surface of the heelor pad is beveled off or made tapering at a to conform to the sha e oroutline of the natural foot between t e fore part and heel thereof, thecon-. caving of the body of the heel-pad a giving but a mild pressure inany event in use of such heel in the shoe. The surface of the heel orpad about the concavity a and extending to the periphery of the heel orpad, as well as in front to the tapering portion (1 thereof, is providedwith an adhesive coating for permitting, by the moistening of thecoating, of the securing of the heel or pad a within the. shoe or bootat the heel portion thereof against displacement in use. The uppersurface of the yielding cellular or soft spongy material constitutingthe heel is covered with calfskin, kid, or other non-porous soft orpliable and moisture-proof material I), which may be cemented orotherwise secured to the heel portion of the boot or shoe in anypreferred manner. Thepurpose of the heel with regard to the particularcharacter of soft spongy cellular material employed therefor is tocontinually maintain in the use of the shoe an air-cushioning effect bythe compression of the air between the covering 1) of the heel andinside sole of the shoe A through the downward pressure of the humanheel against the pad or heel a in position within the shoe, which ismaintained uniform during use of the same, and thereby is relievedcomparatively all pressure on the heel-bone, muscles, and nerves of suchpart of the foot as well as shock and strain'in walking, and hencelessening any tendencies to nervousness of e rsons in Wearing such shoesor boots, 'whic in many instances can be traced to foot discomfitureincident to the harshness of the wearing or tread parts of boots andshoes to the foot and heel.

' Having thus described the nature and object of my invention, what Iclaim as new,

In a boot 0r shoe, a heel-pad of cellular In testimony whereof I havehereunto set material of less thickness at the center than my signaturein the presence of two subscrib- 10 at the periphery, and having thefront made ing Witnesses. tapering, a fibrous-material covering securedEDWARD N HAAG 5 throughout one side thereof and a coating apr plied onthe opposite side and extending to Witnesses: the tapering portion ofsaid pad, substan- J. WALTER DOUGLASS, tially as described, I THOMAS M.SMITH.

